Next day, a large ship, the Rachel, was descried, bearing directly down upon the Pequod, all her spars thickly clustering with men. —
第二天，一艘大船雷切尔号被发现，直接朝着皮克渔船驶来，她的所有桅杆上挤满了人。 —

At the time the Pequod was making good speed through the water; —
当时皮克渔船在水中行驶速度很快； —

but as the broad-winged windward stranger shot nigh to her, the boastful sails all fell together as blank bladders that are burst, and all life fled from the smitten hull.
但随着这艘风头正劲的陌生船靠近，自豪的帆布突然全部垂落，就像被刺破的空气囊一样，被打击的船身失去了所有生气。

“Bad news; she brings bad news,” muttered the old Manxman. —
“坏消息；她带来了坏消息。”老马恩岛人喃喃自语。 —

But ere her commander, who, with trumpet to mouth, stood up in his boat; —
此时，乌黑金发、手握号角的船长正站在他的小船上， —

ere he could hopefully hail, Ahab’s voice was heard.
在他能够有希望地喊话之前，阿哈伯的声音响了起来。

“Hast seen the White Whale?”
“你看见那头白鲸了吗？”

“Aye, yesterday. Have ye seen a whale-boat adrift?”
“看见了，昨天。你看见漂在海上的捕鲸船了吗？”

Throttling his joy, Ahab negatively answered this unexpected question; —
阿哈伯压抑住了喜悦，是否定地回答了这突如其来的问题； —

and would then have fain boarded the stranger, when the stranger captain himself, having stopped his vessel’s way, was seen descending her side. —
然后本想登上那艘陌生船，但陌生船长本人已停下了船速，开始下到甲板上。 —

A few keen pulls, and his boat-hook soon clinched the Pequod’s main-chains, and he sprang to the deck. —
他很快用船钩将皮克渔船的主链箍住，然后一跃而上。 —

Immediately he was recognized by Ahab for a Nantucketer he knew. But no formal salutation was exchanged.
阿哈伯一眼就认出了他是一个他认识的南塔基特人。但他们之间没有交换正式的问候。

“Where was he?–not killed!–not killed!” cried Ahab, closely advancing. “How was it?”
“他在哪里？–没有死吧！–没有死吧！”阿哈伯紧紧跟进，“怎么回事？”

It seemed that somewhat late on the afternoon of the day previous, while three of the stranger’s boats were engaged with a shoal of whales, which had led them some four or five miles from the ship; —
看起来在前一天的下午稍晚一些时候，当那个陌生船的三只捕鲸船正追逐一群鲸鱼时，这些鲸鱼把它们带离了船四五英里； —

and while they were yet in swift chase to windward, the white hump and head of Moby Dick had suddenly loomed up out of the blue water, not very far to leeward; —
正当它们还在向顺风方向迅速追逐时，白色的鲸背和鲸头突然在蓝色的水中出现，离风向不远不近。 —

whereupon, the fourth rigged boat– a reserved one–had been instantly lowered in chase. —
其后，第四艘装备了绳索的小船——一艘保留态度的小船——立即被放下追赶。 —

After a keen sail before the wind, this fourth boat–the swiftest keeled of all–seemed to have succeeded in fastening–at least, as well as the man at the mast-head could tell anything about it. —
在狂风下的短短航行后，这第四艘小船——所有小船中速度最快的一艘——似乎成功潜入——至少，如桅杆顶端的人能看得出什么。 —

In the distance he saw the diminished dotted boat; and then a swift gleam of bubbling white water; —
在远处，他看到了减少了的点点小船；然后是一道闪烁的白色水花； —

and after that nothing more; whence it was concluded that the stricken whale must have indefinitely run away with his pursuers, as often happens. —
之后再没有别的；只能推断那头被击中的鲸可能无限期地与追捕者逃离，这种情况经常发生。 —

There was some apprehension, but no positive alarm, as yet. —
还存在一些担心，但尚未出现明显的恐慌。 —

The recall signals were placed in the rigging; darkness came on; —
召回信号被放在了帆索上；黑暗降临； —

and forced to pick up her three far to windward boats–ere going in quest of the fourth one in the precisely opposite direction– the ship had not only been necessitated to leave that boat to its fate till near midnight, but, for the time, to increase her distance from it. —
被迫收起风浪大的三艘远上风小船——在向完全相反的方向追捕第四艘小船之前——船不得不把那艘小船委于命运直到午夜附近，而且暂时加大了与它的距离。 —

But the rest of her crew being at last safe aboard, she crowded all sail–stunsail on stunsail– after the missing boat; —
但当她其余的船员终于安全上船后，她展开全帆——小帆似又小帆地——追逐失踪的小船； —

kindling a fire in her try-pots for a beacon; and every other man aloft on the look-out. —
燃起了试锅里的火作为信标；并让上面的每个人都保持警惕。 —

But though when she had thus sailed a sufficient distance to gain the presumed place of the absent ones when last seen; —
但当她这样航行了足够的距离以获得最后看到失踪的人时所在的位置； —

though she then paused to lower her spare boats to pull all around her; —
然后她停下来放下备用小船到周围划了一圈； —

and not finding anything, had again dashed on; again paused, and lowered her boats; —
什么也没发现之后，再次奋力向前冲；再次停下来，然后放下小船； —

and though she had thus continued doing till daylight; —
尽管她一直这样做到天亮； —

yet not the least glimpse of the missing keel had been seen.
然而，还是没看到失踪的船只。

The story told, the stranger Captain immediately went on to reveal his object in boarding the Pequod. He desired that ship to unite with his own in the search; —
故事讲完，陌生船长立即继续透露他登上小鲸船的目的。他希望那艘船与他自己的船合作进行搜索； —

by sailing over the sea some four or five miles apart, on parallel lines, and so sweeping a double horizon, as it were.
通过在平行线上相隔大约四五英里的海域航行，从而扫视双重地平线。

“I will wager something now,” whispered Stubb to Flask, “that some one in that missing boat wore off that Captain’s best coat; —
“我敢打赌，”斯塔伯对弗拉斯克低声说道，“那艘失踪的小船上肯定有人穿着船长的上好外衣； —

mayhap, his watch– he’s so cursed anxious to get it back. —
也许还有他的手表–他如此着急想要找回它。 —

Who ever heard of two pious whale-ships cruising after one missing whale-boat in the height of the whaling season? —
谁听说过两艘虔诚的捕鲸船在捕鲸季节的高峰追踪一艘失踪的捕鲸小船呢？ —

See, Flask, only see how pale he looks– pale in the very buttons of his eyes–look–it wasn’t the coat– it must have been the-”
看，弗拉斯克，看看他有多苍白– 他眼睛的纽扣处都苍白了–看–那不是外套– 必定是–

“My boy, my own boy is among them. For God’s sake–I beg, I conjure”– here exclaimed the stranger Captain to Ahab, who thus far had but icily received his petition. —
“我的孩子，我的亲生孩子在其中了.求求你–我一直恳请”–陌生船长对到目前为止对他的请求只是冷淡回应的亚哈说。 —

“For eight-and-forty hours let me charter your ship–I will gladly pay for it, and roundly pay for it– if there be no other way–for eight-and-forty hours only–only that– you must, oh, you must, and you shall do this thing.”
“请让我租用你的船八十四小时–我会乐意付款，并且慷慨付款–如果没有其他办法–只有八十四小时–只有这个– 你必须，哦，你必须，你必须这样做。”

“His son!” cried Stubb, “oh, it’s his son he’s lost! —
“他丢掉了自己的儿子！” 斯塔伯大叫，“哦，他丢掉了自己的儿子！ —

I take back the coat and watch–what says Ahab? —
我把外套和手表还给他–亚哈说什么？ —

We must save that boy.”
我们必须拯救那个男孩。”

“He’s drowned with the rest on ‘em, last night,” said the old Manx sailor standing behind them; —
“昨晚和其他人一起都淹死了，”站在他们身后的那位老曼岛水手说； —

“I heard; all of ye heard their spirits.”
“我听见了；你们都听见了他们的灵魂。”

Now, as it shortly turned out, what made this incident of the Rachel’s the more melancholy, was the circumstance, that not only was one of the Captain’s sons among the number of the missing boat’s crew; —
事实证明，这一幕令人更为悲伤的是，不仅船长的一个儿子是失踪的小船队伍中的一员； —

but among the number of the other boats’ crews, at the same time, but on the other hand, separated from the ship during the dark vicissitudes of the chase, there had been still another son; —
而且在同一时间，还有另一个儿子也与另外一些小船队伍分开，因此，可怜的父亲一度陷入了最残酷的困惑中； —

as that for a time, the wretched father was plunged to the bottom of the cruellest perplexity; —
由于他的两个儿子同时处于失踪状态，他被困在无边无际的苦恼之中。 —

which was only solved for him by his chief mate’s instinctively adopting the ordinary procedure of a whaleship in such emergencies, that is, when placed between jeopardized but divided boats, always to pick up the majority first. —
他的首席副手本能地采取了鲸船在这种紧急情况下的常规做法，即当处于受威胁但分散的小船之间时，总是优先救援人数较多的那艘。 —

But the captain, for some unknown constitutional reason, had refrained from mentioning all this, and not till forced to it by Ahab’s iciness did he allude to his one yet missing boy; —
但船长出于某种未知的体质原因，一直没有提及这一切，直到被艾哈布的冷漠迫使他提到了自己失踪的孩子； —

a little lad, but twelve years old, whose father with the earnest but unmisgiving hardihood of a Nantucketer’s paternal love, had thus early sought to initiate him in the perils and wonders of a vocation almost immemorially the destiny of all his race. —
一个只有十二岁的小男孩，他的父亲凭着一种坚定而毫不动摇的纳塔克特人父爱，早早地试图让他了解一个几乎由他们整个种族历来注定的职业的危险和奇迹。 —

Nor does it unfrequently occur, that Nantucket captains will send a son of such tender age away from them, for a protracted three or four years’ voyage in some other ship than their own; —
纳塔克特的船长也并不少见会把这样一个年幼的儿子送离开自己，到其他船上进行为期三四年的航行； —

so that their first knowledge of a whaleman’s career shall be unenervated by any chance display of a father’s natural but untimely partiality, or undue apprehensiveness and concern.
以便让他们第一次了解捕鲸人的职业，不受父亲自然但过早的偏爱，或过度的担忧和关切的影响。

Meantime, now the stranger was still beseeching his poor boon of Ahab; —
与此同时，陌生人仍在恳求着艾哈布的可怜； —

and Ahab still stood like an anvil, receiving every shock, but without the least quivering of his own.
而艾哈布仍然像铁砧一样站立着，接受着每一次打击，但自己毫无颤动。

“I will not go,” said the stranger, “till you say aye to me. —
“在你说‘是’之前，我是不会走的，”陌生人说。 —

Do to me as you would have me do to you in the like case. —
“像你希望我在同样的情况下对待你一样对待我。 —

For you too have a boy, Captain Ahab–though but a child, and nestling safely at home now–a child of your old age too– Yes, yes, you relent; —
因为你也有一个孩子，艾哈布船长——尽管只是一个孩子，现在安全地在家里——一个你年迈的孩子——是的，是的，你心软了； —

I see it–run, run, men, now, and stand by to square in the yards.”
我明白了——跑吧，跑吧，伙计们，立即整理好桅杆。

“Avast,” cried Ahab–“touch not a rope-yarn”; —
“停船，”艾哈布喊道——”不要动绳索； —

then in a voice that prolongingly moulded every word–“Captain Gardiner, I will not do it. —
然后用一个慢慢塑造每个词的声音说道–“加德纳船长，我不会这样做。 —

Even now I lose time, Good-bye, good-bye. —
即使现在我在浪费时间，再见，再见。 —

God bless ye, man, and may I forgive myself, but I must go. —
上帝保佑你，人，愿我原谅自己，但我必须走。 —

Mr. Starbuck, look at the binnacle watch, and in three minutes from this present instant warn off all strangers; —
星巴克先生，看一下舵表表，从此刻起三分钟后警告所有陌生人； —

then brace forward again, and let the ship sail as before.”
然后再次拉紧前帆，让船像先前一样航行。

Hurriedly turning, with averted face, he descended into his cabin, leaving the strange captain transfixed at this unconditional and utter rejection of his so earnest suit. —
匆匆转身，避开视线，他走下舱去，留下这位陌生船长对他如此彻底和绝对的拒绝感到目瞪口呆。 —

But starting from his enchantment, Gardiner silently hurried to the side; —
但他从迷醉中苏醒过来，沉默地急忙走向船舷； —

more fell than stepped into his boat, and returned to his ship.
比脚步更快地走向他的小船，返回了自己的船只。

Soon the two ships diverged their wakes; and long as the strange vessel was in view, she was seen to yaw hither and thither at every dark spot, however small, on the sea. —
很快，两艘船分开了他们的航迹；只要这艘陌生船还在视线内，你会看到她在海面上的每一个黑点上不管多小都东倒西歪。 —

This way and that her yards were swung around; starboard and larboard, she continued to tack; —
她的桅杆和船桅这边摇晃那边摇晃；她继续换向； —

now she beat against a head sea; and again it pushed her before it; —
现在她与顺风浪作斗争；然后又被推着往前走； —

while all the while, her masts and yards were thickly clustered with men, as three tall cherry trees, when the boys are cherrying among the boughs.
然而，这时，她的桅杆和船桅上全是人，就像三棵樱桃树一样高，孩子们在树上摘樱桃时。

But by her still halting course and winding, woeful way, you plainly saw that this ship that so wept with spray, still remained without comfort. —
但从她停滞不前、蜿蜒曲折的航行路线来看，你清楚地看到，这艘满身飞沫，仍然没有得到慰藉的船只。 —

She was Rachel, weeping for her children, because they were not.
她是瑞秋，为她的孩子们哭泣，因为他们已不在了。